Leverstock Green travelled to meet one of the favourites for the SSML Premier Division title, and came away with a well-deserved point from what was an excellent game of football against Leighton Town. Leverstock lost both their centre-backs during the game but still successfully held off the threat from the Leighton side.

With his squad hit by injuries and suspensions, Fergus Moore brought two new signings into the side for this game – centre back Kraig McLeod, previously with Enfield Town and winger Brian Testolin, on loan from Hadley. The home side attacked straight from the kickoff and had the ball in the Leverstock six-yard box within the opening 20 seconds, but it was scarmbled away. At the other end in the 3rd minute Testolin got on the end of a ball from Chris Blunden and hit a shot which brought a save out of home keeper Xavi Comas.

There was a controversial moment in the 6th minute when Comas appeared to handle the ball well outside the area to keep out a lob from Ethan Mooney, but nothing was given. Leighton took the lead in the 12th minute from a corner. Kyle Connolly crossed to the far post where Reece Robins had a free header into the opposite corner of the net.

Five minutes later Leverstock had a great chance to equalise on the break when Blunden burst clean through, but Comas produced a superb save to tip his shot over the bar. There was another great save ten minutes later, this time from Leverstock keeper Austin Byfield. A ball down the left put the division’s top scorer Leon Lobjoit clean through, but Byfield’s outstretched arm somehow turned away Lobjoit’s attempted chip.

Leverstock lost the first of their centre-backs when Alvin Kyeremeh had to go off injured in the 31st minute, to be replaced by Scott McGleish. Four minutes later Byfield pulled off another superb save to turn a shot from Robins round the post. That save proved to be crucial. From the resulting corner Leverstock broke away. Testolin had a run at goal and hit a low shot which Comas could only parry, and Mooney followed in to net the loose ball and level the scores at 1-1.

Half time saw another change as the other centre-back McLeod was too ill to continue. George Mitchell-Gears came on in his place, with skipper Dan Pett dropping back to fill the centre-back position.

The second half saw fewer chances than the first, and it was Leverstock who had the better of those chances. In the 63rd minute Blunden was just wide with a free kick from distance. On 71 minutes Testolin had the ball in the net from a Ryan Carruthers free kick but it was ruled out for handball. Three minutes later Testolin became the third forced substitution of the game as he had to be carried off injured to be replaced by Lewis Collins.

The nearest miss of all was in the 81st minute when Mitchell-Gears headed inches wide from a Carruthers cross. At the other end, Leighton did not bring a save out of Byfield throughout the half, with the keeper only having to catch routine crosses. The only sour note for Leverstock was the dismissal of Fergus Moore by the referee for kicking a ball away in frustration. But there is no doubt that the point they earned was the least they deserved from this game.

Leighton Town (1) 1 (Robins 12)
1. Xavi Comas, 2. Matt Cooper, 3. Kyle Connolly, 4. Gary Connolly, 5. Max Farrelly (14. Oran Jackson H/T), 6. Luke Pyman, 7. Jack Harvey (12. Will Summerfield 58 mins), 8. Ben Spaul, 9. Kieran Turner (15. James Towell 66 mins), 10. Leon Lobjoit, 11. Reece Robins. Subs not used: 16. Archie McClelland, 17. Joe Fitzgerald.
Leverstock Green (1) 1 (Mooney 36)
1. Austin Byfield, 2. Adrian Pitfield, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Alvin Kyeremeh (20. Scott McGleish 31 mins), 5. Kraig McLeod (14. George Mitchell-Gears H/T), 6. Ibrahim Nagheeb, 7. Brian Testolin (12. Lewis Collins 74 mins), 8. Dan Pett, 9. Chris Blunden, 10. Ryan Carruthers, 11. Ethan Mooney. Subs not used: 15. Kurainashe Musanhi, 16. Oran Swales.

Leverstock Green scored a late equaliser to rescue a well-deserved point from Tuesday night’s trip to Leighton Town. It was the second game in charge of Leighton for former Green skipper Lee Bircham, and there were some familiar faces on the pitch for Leighton as well.

Leverstock had the ball in the net with only a minute played, but Rawn Seale’s celebrations were cut short by the offside flag. In the 18th minute Leighton were almost gifted a goal as Scott McGleish’s header back to Alfie Bonfield was intercepted, but the resulting shot went wide. Five minutes later a slip from Ollie Cox let Lewis Toomey through to take the ball past Bonfield, but McGleish was there to clear the shot off the line.

Leighton went close again in the 26th minute when Duncan Culley shot over the bar from a narrow angle after a slick passing move. On 36 minutes the action was at the other end as Seale took the ball round home keeper Connor Coulson, but his shot from a narrow angle was cleared from the six yard box. Two minutes later some great footwork from Seale created a shooting opportunity from the edge of the box, but Coulson produced a great save to turn the shot away.

The game was still goalless at half time, and early in the second half Leverstock were forced into the first of three changes as McGleish was replaced by Paul Marks. Leighton put the Green goal under pressure in the early stages of the half. Bonfield produced a good save in the 48th minute to turn a shot round the post, but the home side took the lead in the 53rd minute when former Green player Bill Morgan came in at the far post to head home a corner.

Skipper Dan Weeks was forced off with an injury to be replaced by Jack Allen just before the hour, and Elgeniy Daalberg replaced Ryan Carruthers soon after. There were few chances for either side as the game moved into the last ten minutes with Leighton still a goal up. On 82 minutes Leverstock had a chance when they were awarded a free kick just outside the box, but Rio Beach’s effort flew just over the bar. However, a minute later a ball from the back put Seale clean through. Coulson came off his line, but Seale chipped the ball over him, then ran on to meet the bouncing ball and apply the final touch to put it into the net for the equaliser.

A point was the least that Fergus Moore’s side deserved for a very solid performance against a top four side, and they face another of the top sides on Saturday when Risborough Rangers are the visitors to Pancake Lane.

Leighton Town (0) 1 (Morgan 53)
Team: 1. Connor Coulson, 2. Joe Fitzgerald, 3. Tom Bryant, 4. Brian Foulger, 5. Bill Morgan, 6. Luke Pyman, 7. Ross Adams, 8. Alfie Osborne, 9. Duncan Culley, 10. Lewis Toomey, 11. Ashton Campbell. Subs used: 14. Frankie Bircham, 15. Josh Hatton, 16. George Kerr. Subs not used: 17. Freddie Heeps, 18. Abu Khan.
Leverstock Green (0) 1 (Seale 83)
Team: 1. Alfie Bonfield, 2. Ollie Cox, 3. Rio Beach, 4. Dan Weeks (12. Jack Allen 59 mins), 18. Scott McGleish (16. Paul Marks 50 mins), 6. Kian Wilkes, 7. Ethan Mooney, 8. Ryan Carruthers (15. Elgeniy Daalberg 65 mins), 9. Rawn Seale, 10. Sean Walsh, 11. Nagheeb Ibrahim. Subs not used: 14. Lewis Collins, 17. Brad Robinson.

 

Leverstock Green put up a very good display against one of the title favourites in Leighton Town, but a single first half goal was enough for Leighton to take all three points.

As in the midweek game against Biggleswade, Leverstock came under pressure in the opening few minutes but withstood it. In the 4th minute Matt Fallon tipped over a cross from the right that had been caught by the wind, and shots from Ben Pattie and Ashton Campbell both went wide of the Green goal in the opening ten minutes.

Leverstock’s first near miss came in the 13th minute when Jamie Calvin got up at the near post to meet a long throw from Brima Johnson, but flicked it just over the bar. In the 28th minute a corner from Frank Jowle was missed by home keeper Brad Kirkwood, but nobody could force the ball home. A minute later at the other end Ashton Campbell went close for Leighton with a lob from the edge of the area that just cleared the bar.

In the 32nd minute Calvin and Jowle combined on a quick break to put Oran Swales through on goal, but Kirkwood made a great low one-handed save to keep out Swales’ shot. Two minutes later Swales tested Kirkwood with another shot, striking from the edge of the box after another Johnson long throw had been headed away.

Six minutes before half time the Leverstock resistance was broken down as Leighton launched a quick counter-attack. Campbell got in behind Johnson and ran on to slot the ball past Fallon and across goal to where Archie McClelland was coming in to finish with a tap-in. Leverstock also suffered a blow in that Swales had to leave the game through an injury picked up in the previous Green attack.

The second half followed a similar pattern with Leighton having more of the ball and most of the chances. Pattie and Jordon Frederick both put shots over the bar for Leighton just before the hour mark. On 65 minutes Leverstock went close when a neat backheel from Luke Peerless set up Calvin for a shot that went just over, and on 74 minutes a pass from John Smith sent Calvin away to hit a shot that was turned round the post by Kirkwood. Two minutes later Fallon stopped an effort from Connor Calcutt on the line and Mickey Shuttlewood completed the clearance. With five minutes left Fallon made another great save to keep out a shot from Sonny Newbury-Barr.

Leighton had other late chances, but wayward shooting meant that they still only had their single-goal lead going into the closing minutes. Leverstock almost made them pay in the 89th minute when a cross from Johnson was headed just wide by Calvin, and they won a couple of corners in stoppage time as the game remained in the balance to the end, but ultimately Leighton held out for the win.

Leverstock have now gone three games without a goal and four games without a win, but if they continue to turn in performances like the last two games, they will soon start to come.

Leighton Town (1) 1  (McClelland 39)
1. Brad Kirkwood, 12. Ben Pattie (9. Sonny Newbury-Barr 76 mins), 17. Ross Adams, 4. Joe Fitzgerald, 5. Dave Murphy, 19. Brian Foulger, 7. Connor Calcutt (3. Tom Silford 88 mins), 8. Jordon Frederick, 14. Ashton Campbell (George Boland 83 mins), 10. Archie McClelland, 11. Tom Bryant. Subs not used: Kio Kennett Ratcliffe, Louie Howarth.

Leverstock Green (0) 0
1. Matt Fallon, 2. Brima Johnson, 3. Will Bisney, 4. Dan Weeks, 5. Mickey Shuttlewood, 6. Steve Hawes, 7. John Smith, 8. James Hall (16. Jamie Ovington 71 mins), 9. Jamie Calvin, 10. Oran Swales (15. Luke Peerless 41 mins), 11. Frank Jojwle (12. Sidney Gueye 62 mins). Sub not used: Kian Wilkes.